Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

30 reviews

kayle39's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book from the first page. I was really excited when i saw that we would get to a glimpse into the lives of other family members. Idk if you call it body horror, but the author did a great job describing the gore. The book is a great balance between supernatural horror and the horrors of reality. 

initially i was a bit displeased with how they said they would get rid of the creature. Because often the fake suicide route is boring and doesnt make sense. I like how this book did it. It upped the stakes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Dementia and Car accident

Be warned of graphic descriptions of body horror, injuries, and gore

cam_holmes's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Haunting of Alejandra was a fascinating exploration of depression, generational trauma, and finding oneself after years of being lost. However, I feel that the dialog was, at times, stiff, as if I was reading an informative website about therapy sessions. Also, without spoiling anything, I will say I did not like the final solution that the characters came up with. It felt antithetical to the themes of healing and self-love that the author had set up throughout the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, and Pregnancy

rubberrosebooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

_readerfromtheblacklagoon_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Drug use, Infertility, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, and War

chavonnwshen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence and Colonisation

archaicrobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Castro’s writing is very blunt and it’s always hard for me to get into at first which affects my overall enjoyment of her books, but it’s very much a personal taste. If you’re looking for flowery, descriptive prose or a complex horror novel I wouldn’t recommend this one, as it’s very point blank and you have to accept a lot and just move on.

If you can do that though, this novel tells and eerie tale of a woman stuck in her depression hating her life, her children, her husband, and herself, all while being haunted by an entity she assumes is La Llorona. Alejandra at first is insufferable because she is so miserable but once she starts seeing a therapist and valuing herself, she begins to find the power within her self to not only change her life but defeat the curse of La Llorona for good.

While Castro’s writing style isn’t my favorite I always love her strong female characters, her ability to create terrifying imagery, and the strong cultural elements she weaves into her story. If you’re looking for a well crafted supernatural tale about strong women, generational trauma, and identity this one is worth trying!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Genocide, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, and Infertility

missychristo's review against another edition

I really want to know were La Llorona comes into fruition, but the beginning has too many ideations of suicide, and pretty triggering situations of implicit expectations, and emotional abuse was too much

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting

allyem_reads's review against another edition

4.0

7.14 CAWPILE 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Infidelity, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Colonisation

gillian_darkholme's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment